Walking is often a favourite pastime of guests at Anakiwa 401 and it’s not surprising they come to stay with the many options available to them when lodging at our self-catering guesthouse. Whether you’re interested in short walks, full day walks or evening strolls, the choice is endless from Anakiwa 401.

With the famous Queen Charlotte Track starting at the end of our garden, be assured that however long a walk you decide upon, you’ll encounter unforgettable coastal and bush scenery with magnificent views of the Marlborough Sounds. A short 3km walk from Anakiwa through native beech tree forest to Davies Bay, will reward you with a gorgeous picnicking spot and a beautiful safe sandy swimming beach to refresh yourself. If you’d prefer a longer walk, continue on from Davies Bay to the Onahau Lookout, overlooking Ngakuta Bay with spectacular views of the Queen Charlotte Sound bays and coves, before returning to Anakiwa (13km return).

Perhaps you’d like to experience the Marlborough Sounds on the water and take a morning water taxi with Arrow Water Taxis (during the season from October to Easter), from the jetty right opposite Anakiwa 401 to Mistletoe Bay on the Queen Charlotte Sound. From here, you’ll walk at your leisure through both mature and rapidly regenerating forest supporting large populations of waxeyes, fantails and wekas, before arriving at the Onahau Lookout, Davies Bay and then back to Anakiwa (12.5km – QCTLC Track Pass required – $10 1-day pass, $18 5-day pass).

A little further afield, close to Havelock, is the Coastal Loop Walking Track at the Cullen Point Lookout – a great 1 hour walk with views of the Mahau Sound & Mahakipawa Arm. For a slightly longer walk, there is the Cullen Creek/Waikakaho Walkway – this follows an old goldminers trail so its historically interesting starting with building remains of the former mining town of Cullensille. The Link Pathway which is a community project to create a 42 kilometre walk / cycle path that links Picton, Anakiwa and Havelock is well under way, with sections now open, is offering even more wonderful walks locally. Or why not walk to the highest point of the Marlborough Sounds, Mt Stokes – on a clear day, the views are simply stunning (5hrs return walk – 1.5 hour drive from Anakiwa).

And let’s not forget your walking doesn’t need to stop at night fall – on a short local night walk, hear the morepork calling, spend time stargazing, see a spectacular cascade of glow-worms or the bioluminescent organisms glowing in the water. All an amazing spectacle from Anakiwa 401 Self-catering Guesthouse.

The choices are endless – just ask us during your stay.

Thank you to guests who have kindly provided photos from their Queen Charlotte Track experience.

Our beautiful kahikatea tree is looking splendid in its autumn colours. Standing in our front garden, it was once part of a large grove, some of which still remain in the adjacent property.

The kahikatea is New Zealand’s tallest forest tree, growing to heights of over 60 metres. It once dominated the forests that covered much of New Zealand’s swampy lowland areas. Unlike our solitary kahikatea, it is more common to find them close to other kahikatea, intertwining its buttressed roots with its neighbours for support in the unstable swampy ground.

In autumn, numerous forest birds chatter noisily in its canopy, feeding on its abundant red berries. These berries, called koroī, were also a valued food source for Māori, who skillfully climbed up the smooth branchless trunks to harvest them.

It was Captain Cook who named this giant, “white pine”, when he and his companions first encountered it along the banks of the Waihou River, in the North Island. They had great confidence in its suitability as timber. However, it was not long before it was discovered that while undoubtedly tall and straight, the softness of the kahikatea’s wood and the fact it was a susceptible to damage by house borer, made it unsuitable for naval or building applications.

But its uses didn’t end there – the fact this timber has no odour, meant it was in great demand for cheese crates, butter boxes and tallow casks in the days before fibre-board containers. Consequently there was then a sizable export trade in the timber to Australia and Europe. In fact Kahikatea or white pine is still used today for casks.

Autumn is a wonderful time to visit the region – quieter, yet still beautiful sunny skies and calm waters. Come and check it out for yourself. BOOK NOW

New Zealand is a bird-watcher’s paradise. Whilst, you may not find the famous New Zealand kiwi right here in Anakiwa, they’re not far away and we certainly have numerous bush and sea birds to keep avid bird-watchers interested during their stay with us the Marlborough Sounds.

A recent guest Carol Mayne, was out and about exploring our bay and took some amazing bird life photos shown here.

From the native silvereye, a small songbird with a distinctive white ring around their eye, also known as the waxeye, to the long-legged waterbird, the royal spoonbill with its black spoon-shaped bill. You may even spot the protected pied shag trying to swallow a flounder in the shallow waters or hear the guttural call of a caspian tern which is often heard, before the bird is seen. Come Spring, the dawn chorus, from the warbling tui, the notes of the bellbird that Sir Joseph Banks noted in the Queen Charlotte Sound on James Cook’s first voyage to New Zealand and the loud song of one of New Zealand’s best known birds, the fantail – is truly magical.

In our gardens and the bush, the large & lumbering kereru (native wood pigeon), the flightless weka (bush hen), sparrow-sized yellowhammers, kingfishers, californian quails and the NZ falcon, are just some of the birds to look out for. Oystercatchers, gannets, shearwaters, black swans, reef herons, little blue penguins and even the royal albatross can be seen on the waters of the Marlborough Sounds.

And if you head to the predator-free Motuara Island accessible by boat from Picton, you may get to encounter some rare & endemic bird species, such as the South Island saddleback and robin, along with the most important species on the island – the nocturnal Okarito brown kiwi. This island is used as a nursery for chicks but being nocturnal, these birds are hidden from sight to most.

Anakiwa 401 surrounded by native bush and gardens, next to the beachy foreshore, is the perfect spot to stay in the Marlborough Sounds for many activities, bird-watching being one.

Anakiwa 401 Self-catering Guesthouse today announced that it has received a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award for the fourth consecutive year. The award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given only to establishments that consistently achieve great reviews on TripAdvisor. Certificate of Excellence winners are located all over the world and have continually delivered a superior customer experience.

“Winning the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence is a true source of pride for us at Anakiwa 401 and we’d like to sincerely thank all of our past guests who took the time to complete a review on TripAdvisor,” said Tanya & Shayne Jacks, Owner/Operators of Anakiwa 401 Self-catering Guesthouse. “After our re-branding to Anakiwa 401 last October, we’re pleased to learn that our guests feel our new name better represents our accommodation. And there is no greater seal of approval than being recognised by our guests for our superb waterfront location, value for money and high level of hospitality, service and facilities”.

Located on the water’s edge, right at the end of the Queen Charlotte Track and as an Official Partner of the NZ Cycle Trail, Anakiwa 401 is the perfect spot to go walking or mountain biking, and with sit-on top kayaks available free to its guests, kayaking the calm waters of the Marlborough Sounds is a great option too. Anakiwa 401 is centrally located in Marlborough, so an ideal base for exploring more of the region by car. Or if a relaxing break is appealing, the extensive outdoor areas in native gardens with stunning views of the Queen Charlotte Sound, makes Anakiwa 401 the perfect beach garden getaway.

Recognised as a Top Performing Guesthouse Accommodation as Reviewed by Travellers on the World’s Largest Travel Site

It was gorgeous weather yesterday, so we decided to experience some more of our own back yard – the Queen Charlotte Track. Instead of walking, this time we took the mountain bikes and chose a section close to Anakiwa. We were dropped off at Torea Bay jetty by friends in their boat, however Arrow Water Taxis pick up daily from Anakiwa and take you there for just $30 per person. We then rode the 21+ km back to Anakiwa. This section of the track travels through both private and Department of Conservation land, so you will need to get a QCTLC Day pass ($10) from us before you set out.

There were some steep climbs (where we had to push our bikes) but the views on the way up to and along Shamrock Ridge (the highest point on the Track itself at 407m) were outstandingly beautiful. This section from Torea Saddle to Lochmara can be challenging but you can ride/walk at your own pace and the views of both the Kenepuru & Queen Charlotte Sounds were amazing and well worth the effort. The technical descent is good fun too. From where the Lochmara Lodge pathway meets the Queen Charlotte track down to Mistletoe Bay and onto Anakiwa, is a great part of the track and if you are not so experienced, then the Te Mahia Saddle/Mistletoe Bay to Anakiwa section is a little easier and a very popular ride down into Anakiwa. This follows the old bridle path above Onahau Bay, passing by farm paddocks and regenerating forest to the Onahau Lookout with picnic tables and on a clear day, provides fantastic views of Onahau Bay, up the Queen Charlotte Sound and back down into Anakiwa. You then descend through mature forest close to Bottle Bay and along the gentle undulating track to Davies Bay, with a safe sandy, grass banked beach – perfect for a dip to cool off. This is a popular picnic spot for locals in summer. The final 15 minute ride to Anakiwa again follows an old bridle path running through mature forest featuring some large beech trees.

Along the whole journey, there was evidence of wild pigs and Tanya even saw a wild goat. There was also a variety of native birds to be seen in their habitat. We arrived home at Anakiwa 401 pretty tired as we are not regular mountain bikers, but totally exhilarated and can recommend it highly – we can see why it has the NZ Cycle Trail Great Ride status. Talk to us if you’d like any advice on walking or biking the Queen Charlotte Track.

Looking for a beautiful place to stop for a coffee or treat yourself and kids to an ice-cream?
Then visit us at the Green Caravan Café @ Anakiwa 401 - located at the end of the road in delightful Anakiwa on the Queen Charlotte Sound - the mid-way point on the South Island's picturesque Queen Charlotte Drive, between … [Read more....]